Influence of Dietary Sources of Melatonin on Sleep Quality: A Review

Abstract

Sleep is an essential biological phenomenon, being a physiological and behavioral process necessary for quality of life. Melatonin is a circadian hormone produced at night by the pineal gland, regulated by the light/dark cycle, under the control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Melatonin is an indoleamine, synthesized from the essential amino acid tryptophan via serotonin. Melatonin is also found in plants, where it helps fight oxidative stress. To present a systematic review on the ability of food sources of melatonin to promote healthy sleep. A literature search was performed on the PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databases, including only randomized, placebo‐controlled trials published in English between 2005 and 2019. The methodological quality of the trials was assessed by the Jadad scale. Of the 25 eligible articles, eight met the inclusion criteria. They addressed the intake of milk or cherry juice in children, adults, and elderly subjects and evaluated sleep quality by questionnaires, sleep diary, actigraphy, or polysomnography. The analysis of the studies presented limitations, including lack of homogeneity of treatment dosage and duration. Nonetheless, the results indicated that the consumption of milk and sour cherries, sources of melatonin, may improve sleep quality in humans. These results pointed out to the potential suitability of food sources of melatonin as adjuvants in the prevention and treatment of sleep disorders. Further studies are necessary to better ascertain the aspects relevant to their use.

Melatonin improves cognitive behavior, oxidative stress, and metabolism in tumor‐prone lethal giant larvae mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

“…Hence, their cognitive behaviors (negative geotaxis, phototaxis, smell chemotaxis, taste chemotaxis, thermotaxis, and hygrotaxis) could have been similarly affected as observed in the present study. Melatonin is known to nullify the defects in cognitive functions (Alghamdi, 2018) as well as to restore the normal sleep duration and intensity in humans (Pereira et al, 2020) and flies (Sun et al, 2016). Therefore, attainment of close to the normalcy of the defective behavioral responses of lgl mutants toward gravity, light, smell, heat, and humidity, is feasible among the melatonin‐treated lgl mutants as an adequate amount of sleep would have been achieved in this cohort of flies.…”

“…Melatonin is known to nullify the defects in cognitive functions (Alghamdi, 2018) as well as to restore the normal sleep duration and intensity in humans S4. G6PDH, glucose-6-P-dehydrogenase; GP, glycogen phosphorylase; HK, hexokinase; ICD, isocitrate dehydrogenase; lgl, lethal giant larvae mutant; MDH, malate dehydrogenase; PGM, phosphoglucomutase; WT, wild-type flies (Pereira et al, 2020) and flies (Sun et al, 2016). Therefore, attainment of close to the normalcy of the defective behavioral responses of lgl mutants toward gravity, light, smell, heat, and humidity, is feasible among the melatonin-treated lgl mutants as an adequate amount of sleep would have been achieved in this cohort of flies.…”

Dietary Patterns in Relation to Prospective Sleep Duration and Timing among Mexico City Adolescents

“…However, there are variations within adolescents regarding the extent of these changes, with some adolescents experiencing more dramatic phase changes in sleep timing and duration. Whether healthier dietary patterns, particularly dietary patterns that promote melatonin secretion and/or are antioxidative [ 20 ], could promote less dramatic changes in sleep timing and duration remains unknown. Thus, the aims of the present study were two-fold: 1) to evaluate whether healthier dietary patterns measured in adolescence were predictive of longer sleep duration and earlier sleep timing assessed two years later, and 2) to examine whether healthier dietary patterns measured in adolescence were associated with lower changes in sleep duration or timing over the two-year follow-up.…”

Melatonin: One molecule one- medicine for many diseases, coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease (Covid19); Function in plants

“…Melatonin is synthesized from tryptophan, an essential dietary amino acid (Murch et al, 2000; Murch et al, 2001; Murch and Saxena, 2002; Murch et al, 1997; Pereira et al, 2020; Peuhkuri et al, 2012). Melatonin secretion is strongly related to the duration of darkness (Murch et al, 2000; Murch et al, 2001; Murch and Saxena, 2002; Murch et al, 1997; Pereira et al, 2020; Van Tassel and O"Neill, 2001).Sleep is an essential biological phenomenon necessary for body regulation and quality of life at any age(Pereira et al, 2020;Peuhkuri et al, 2012). Melatonin is a circadian hormone produced at night by the pineal gland, with peak production around 02:00 a.m. in humans, regulated by the light/dark cycle, under the control of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus in the brain(Daugaard et al, 2017;Pereira et al, 2020;Peuhkuri et al, 2012).…”

“…One possible mechanism by which diet can influence circadian rhythms is by modifying the secretion of melatonin. Melatonin is a circulating neurohormone secreted predominantly at night(Pereira et al, 2020;Peuhkuri et al, 2012). Light is the most influential environmental factor(Pereira et al, 2020;Peuhkuri et al, 2012).…”